The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1887-07-07
steeMAN AT HOME.


The tF6fksii8p and Reddshce Oh ths
Fam5ds fsanksf-P0eti
OF the many men familiar to those
whose business or interests bring Them
within the atmosphere Of bustling Wall
street, hone perhaps is more respected
oil better liked than Edmund Clarence
Stedman; the poet banker. Busy Al
his banking Office during the day. and
engrdssed in literary work and IN fui-
filling social requirements at night
Mr.. Stedman leads 1t once an active
and dual life. A literary atm7sphere
pervades his Office as we'll as his charfii
Ing uptown residence, for the genial
faces Of New England's famed poets,
Longfeildw; Holmes, Lowell and Whit
tier, look down from the four walls be.
tween which the visitor finds Mr.. eted..
man. 1t is only when closely pressed
by sonic important piece OF literary
work at home that the poet can not be
found at his downtown desk. as busily
engaged In his banking affairs rs i
literature was an unknown factor of his
life. During The summer months, low.
ever, the attractions Of his island re-
treat In New Hampshire lure the busy
banker from his desk. and great por-
ton Of the heated term Is there spent
This summer home is one as beautiful
in its surroundings as might be wished
for mind filed with poetical fancies
1t is situated on Newcastle Island, NJ
the mouth of the Piscataqua river IL
New Hampshire, opposite the ancient
town of Portsmouth. The beauty o.
the place is only rivaled by its wealth
of historic and romantic associations.
The poets home is modest dwelling
whose shingled roofs and wide, low
porch suggests one of those Queer
Anne cottages that cover every eligible
site ON our Atlantic coast. Cross thu
lawn to the seawarl side, and one find!
that the owner and his architect bull,
with some sense of the novel and poetic
, in their souls. The north and ives
walls are of stone, the north wall car
RED up into n tower, with marvelousll
wide sea outlook. The walls are bull
Of stone-trap. lava, and small, smootl
powders gathered on the neighborinl
beaches and arranged in courses witt
T, an eye to artistic effect The tower !
built of the same material. There is
loggia at its base. like those in oil
Venetian villas, looking seaward ou
toward Appletlore, Applegate, AM
their sister isles. From porch a doc
opens directly into a wide hall, larg
enough for summer parlor, and in
deed used as SUCH There is a larg
fireplace on the left, with ancient and
irons. The furniture is old and quaint
reft by Mrs. Stedman from the ancien
homes of Portsmouth and other places
On the summer evenings when the sea
wind blows cool. fire of driftwood
| lighted on the hearth. Part of mas
or spar, torn from IFS socket perhaps i
some hurricane of the Antilles doe
duty as d back log. and burns with
lambent blush flame. On this heape
fagots catch the flame, and set tn
shadows to dancing merrily over tn
polished floor and in and out amid TIL
furnishings Then about the fire gather
a notable company. There is alway
II visitor at the cottage author, poet
artist, savant or travelled man fror
foreign lands.
The poets study is a small uppe
chamber in the tower, with deep, case
mented windows looking every wa
/ but the landward.
| The view from the west window take
in the craggy, winding south shore, tn
vista being closed by the ruinous Maj
tello tower on Jourdan's rocks and tn
deserted walls of Fort Constitution.
| Some of the best work of the poet i
recent years has been done In this littl
room alone with sea and sky. In Ne,
York his literary work is done afte
nine clock at night. Here he devote
his mornings to it, The afternoon
reserved for social pleasures, boatin
and fishing, riding into the storie
lands about him, strolls through til
romantic lanes and along the soundin
beaches of the island. Jaffrey Point
his favoritc haunt. Its jagged front re
ceives the full brunt of the Atlantic
On one side is u pretty beach of shingl
and pebble; inland, bayberry, swee
l e =. Al. Al